The role of mycorrhizae in the biogeochemical cycles of forest ecosystems
Harnessing mycorrhizal fungi for a sustainable forest

As we have already pointed out, mycorrhizal symbiosis is essentially based on trophic mutualism. Greenhouse experiments and field studies suggest that plants allocate between 10 and 20% of their photosynthesized sugars to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. This sugar uptake is much higher in ectomycorrhizal and ericoid symbioses, ranging from 20 to 50% of the sugars produced by photosynthesis, depending on the mycorrhizal symbiont and the physiological conditions of the interaction. These sugars are used by the mycorrhizal fungus to build and fuel the metabolic activity of its mycelial network. A significant proportion of these sugars contribute to the soil's carbon stock when the fungal filaments senesce. Mycorrhizal fungi therefore...